Prof. Edward Appiah
President
Prof Appiah is a Professor for Design Education, Design Researcher, and Curriculum Development Consultant. His research interests are in Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability, and Pedagogy in Design Education. He is the West African Coordinator for Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability (DESIS), a network of design labs, based in design schools and design-oriented universities, actively involved in promoting and supporting sustainable change.
Prof. Patrique deGraft-Yankson
Vice President
Prof. Patrique deGraft-Yankson is a Ghanaian art and design educator, researcher, and creative practitioner with extensive experience in higher education and creative-industry development in Africa. He is an Associate Professor of Art & Design Education at the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), and a former Dean of the School of Creative Arts, where he led major academic reforms and strengthened interdisciplinary and industry–academia collaboration. He is the Founding Director of the Centre for Research in Culture and Creative Arts (CeRCCA), a multidisciplinary hub advancing artistic research, cultural knowledge, and creative innovation across Africa. His scholarly interests include artistic and practice-led research, African design cultures, visual communication, decolonial epistemologies, and technology-enhanced art education. He also serves as a World Councillor of the International Society for Education through Art (InSEA).
DR. Ralista D. Debrah
Financial Secretary
Ralitsa Diana Debrah is a designer and educator with over a decade of local and international consulting experience. She lectures at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana, where she serves as the Lab Operations Manager and International Coordinator for the Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability (DESIS) Network. She is a member of the e/merge Africa Network at the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa, and actively participates in organisations such as Open Design Afrika, DesignGhana, the Pan Afrikan Design Institute, and the World Design Organization (WDO). As co-founder of Inclusive-Tech-Group (ITG), a Ghanaian not-for-profit, she works with differently-abled persons in local communities. Ralitsa is a lifelong learner, futurist, and advocate for people-centred design.
Joseph Amewu
Acting Secretary/Organiser
Lecturer of Visual communication Design, Department of Industrial Art, Faculty of Art and Design, Ho Technical University. Over 20 years industrial experience and 10 years teaching experience with specialization in sustainable packaging design, design education and visual communication.